His voice was clear and steady, neither servile nor arrogant. He simply showed the respect a junior owed an elder.
Qian Daoliu looked at him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Mm." Qian Daoliu replied, his voice a little warmer than before. He looked at Gu Qingshan and nodded.
The Worship Hall fell silent.
Bibi Dong felt the moment had come.
She took two steps forward and stood beside Gu Qingshan. Her gaze swept over every enshrined elder present before finally settling on Qian Daoliu's back.
At that moment, the majesty of the pope was on full display: an aura of a ruler that radiated from within.
"Grand Elder."
"Qingshan is exceptionally talented. A Soul Ancestor at six years old is unprecedented, and he has made significant contributions to Spirit Hall. I propose that he be named Spirit Hall's Holy Son, with the right to inherit the papal throne."
The air in the Worship Hall froze.
Spirit Hall's Holy Son.
Then the enshrined elders noticed the words "significant contributions" in Bibi Dong's statement.
Golden Crocodile Douluo furrowed his brow.
He was over a hundred years old. He had long since passed the age of digging into every little thing.
If Bibi Dong said this child had made significant contributions to Spirit Hall, then he certainly had.
The pope wouldn't make such a claim lightly in front of everyone.
He spent every day in the Worship Hall and knew little of what went on outside. But something as important as a "significant contribution" should, by rights, have been reported to him.
Yet he hadn't heard a thing.
"Significant contributions to Spirit Hall? How come I don't know about this?"
The other enshrined elders pricked up their ears, too.
Bibi Dong looked at Gu Qingshan and said proudly, "Qingshan won over Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and the Nine Heart Begonia Clan."
The Worship Hall fell silent at once. The enshrined elders' expressions shifted from confusion to shock.
Winning over a Titled Douluo and bringing a clan with a top-tier support Martial Soul into the fold was no small matter. It was enough to strengthen Spirit Hall's foundations.
Not a single person there spoke. They were all waiting for Qian Daoliu's response.
Qian Daoliu was slightly moved, but didn't reply immediately.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"With Qingshan's talent, he deserves the position of Holy Son."
No one objected. Qian Daoliu had already made the decision, and in Spirit Hall, the Grand Elder's word was final.
No one had the right to change it, and no one would even try.
Qian Daoliu looked at Gu Qingshan. His normally impassive face had grown even gentler.
"The investiture ceremony will be held in three days."
From that moment on, this child would no longer be merely the pope's disciple. He would be Spirit Hall's official, public, universally acknowledged heir.
Gu Qingshan bowed again.
"Yes, Grand Elder!"
Qian Daoliu nodded, then turned and walked deeper into the Worship Hall.
Bibi Dong remained where she was, watching the direction in which Qian Daoliu had disappeared. She could hardly keep the smile from her lips.
Early the next morning, a crowd of uninvited guests showed up at the entrance to Gu Qingshan's villa.
Gu Qingshan had only just gotten up. He wore a loose dressing gown, his hair was a bird's nest, and a Blue Silver Leaf dangled from his mouth as he rocked back and forth on a swing in the courtyard.
Then he heard footsteps—noisy, chaotic footsteps with a certain feverish rhythm.
Gu Qingshan opened his eyes and glanced toward the courtyard gate.
The gate was open.
A large crowd surged inside.
What Gu Qingshan didn't know was that these were the core members of Spirit Hall's younger generation: the grandsons and great-grandsons of its elders, the "princelings" who had grown up in Spirit Hall.
They wore Soul Master robes of every color, Spirit Hall badges pinned to their chests, and stood with their chins raised and their eyes burning with excitement.
Chewing on the Blue Silver Leaf, Gu Qingshan looked over their faces one by one and quickly understood.
They were all here for the Holy Son position.
News from the Worship Hall had spread through the city the day before. When these geniuses, who had been pampered since childhood, heard that Spirit Hall was going to appoint a six-year-old as its Holy Son, there was no way they'd accept it.
They sure were up early!
They were full of energy, their blood was up, and they thought they were chosen ones. They believed the Holy Son position should be theirs.
In reality, they had barely set foot on a real battlefield, much less faced true life and death. All they did was throw their weight around in the training grounds and put on a show for their peers.
Looking at them, Gu Qingshan suddenly found it a little amusing.
Soon, Bibi Dong arrived with Hu Liena and the other two.
Bibi Dong stood on the steps of the villa, her gaze sweeping over the young people. Not a trace of anger showed in her purple eyes.
On the contrary, the corners of her mouth curled slightly, as though she were watching a good show.
Of course she knew why they had come.
But she didn't scold them or use the pope's authority to put a stop to this.
Instead, she made a decision that left everyone present momentarily stunned.
"Any Soul Master in Spirit Hall under the age of twenty may challenge Qingshan." Bibi Dong's voice rang clearly across the courtyard. "Whoever defeats Qingshan will become the Holy Son."
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Then everyone erupted.
The Holy Son position.
Spirit Hall's first-ever Holy Son. Whoever defeated Gu Qingshan would become the Holy Son.
To them, it was like a magnificent gift falling from the heavens.
Who was Gu Qingshan? A six-year-old child. No matter how talented he was, he was still just a child. How much real combat experience could a six-year-old have?
They rubbed their hands together, itching to give it a try, as though the Holy Son position was already in their pockets.
Hu Liena stood at the edge of the crowd with her arms folded, watching these young people get so carried away they'd lost their minds. The corner of her mouth twitched.
The scene from over half a year ago remained etched in her memory. The three of them, all Soul Elders, had joined forces to attack Gu Qingshan, only to be sent flying in a single exchange.
Back then, Gu Qingshan had been only Level 15. He hadn't even used a Soul Skill; his passive damage reflection alone had left all three of them seriously injured at once.
Now Gu Qingshan was Level 43.
They had no idea how powerful his damage reflection was now, but these so-called "geniuses" certainly weren't a match for him.
Hu Liena looked toward Gu Qingshan, who had landed in the center of the training ground.
Gu Qingshan was taking Blue Silver Leaves from his pocket, moving lazily, as if he hadn't woken up yet.
Hu Liena's lips curved.
These people would soon learn what despair meant.
Chewing on Blue Silver Leaves, Gu Qingshan watched the young people warm up and discuss tactics, feeling utterly speechless.
Wouldn't it be nicer to soak in a bath at home with all this free time?
But his teacher had said this was a good chance to establish his authority.
Fine, then. He'd establish his authority and save himself the trouble of every Tom, Dick, and Harry coming to bother him.
Gu Qingshan finished chewing the Blue Silver Leaf, swallowed it, and casually sized up the young men in front of him.
Then he noticed that a pair of eyes was fixed on him, burning like two balls of fire.
The way the guy was staring at him made Gu Qingshan's butt clench.
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